[CLUE-Tech] Enthusiasm for Linux

[Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier]

On Fri, 2003-10-24 at 21:42, Kevin Cullis wrote:
> Yep, I'd say about the same thing: I use Linux because of the tools, not
> the games.  However, has anyone looked at the new Mac OX X 10.3, i.e.
> Panther!!  Real X11 and a whole lot of UNIX tools have become available.

Yes, Mac OS X has a lot going for it -- but one huge drawback, namely
Apple continually dropping support for older models. If you notice,
almost every OS upgrade from Apple comes with a list of older Macs that
are no longer supported. Since I doubt that Apple is incapable of
supporting those older Macs, I tend to draw the conclusion that it's
basically a system of planned obsolescence. Since Mac hardware is damned
expensive, I'd want to run a machine until it gave up the ghost
completely rather than having to buy a new machine when Apple decides
it's more profitable to force me to buy new hardware to go with the
newest OS. 

Also, Apple upgrades are kind of pricey -- even moreso than Windows. I
think the typical upgrade package from MS is about $89 (assuming you're
using the home version) whereas Apple's usual upgrade set is $129 or
so... (I'm going on memory here, someone correct me if I'm wrong...it's
been a loooong time since I purchased updates from either company.) 

The lack of older hardware support bothers me more than the fact that
buying the upgrade costs upwards of $100. People who bought G3s just a
few years ago can no longer run the latest Mac OS, which means they're
going to be out a few thousand dollars or they're simply out in the cold
when it comes to newer features and updates. I'm not even sure if Apple
provides updates for older Mac OS versions -- I mean, I know they have
upgrades that might bring you from 10.2 to 10.3, but if 10.3 is
incompatible with older hardware, can you get security updates and
bugfixes for older versions that won't break your OS?

For a while, I kind of considered Apple a nice middle ground between
Linux and Microsoft, but I quit being willing to endorse Apple products
after the company broke features in iTunes with an "update" -- thereby
removing features that people wanted and had come to use, just to
appease the music companies. 

If you're willing to sacrifice control over your system, and willing to
buy in to the idea that you'll have to buy new hardware every few years
to remain up-to-date, then I guess Apple is a better way to go than
Microsoft. But I really don't see Apple as a very good alternative to
Linux. 

Zonker
-- 
Joe 'Zonker' Brockmeier
jzb at dissociatedpress.net
http://www.dissociatedpress.net
http://www.corante.com/openmind